Durham

we cannot engage with duke's memory without also engaging with durham's

Duke University and Durham are inextricably connected. To see Duke as an institution that is separate from Durham is a common misconception; however, it is a misconception that not only fails to acknowledge the histories of both entities, but also one that contributes to Duke's continued violence onto the Durham community -- especially in the form of gentrification. The reality is, Duke and Durham have a relationship of mutual exchange, and it is therefore it is imperative that the two maintain a healthy relationship for the survival of both communities.

​We recognize that our report, since it focuses mainly on Duke's history, only contributes one piece to what is ultimately a more complex and multilayered history of the area. We hope that our work can work in tandem with organizations and initiatives to unpack Durham's history, as spotlighted below:

confederate monument committee

​March 2018

After activists toppled a statue of a Confederate soldier in front of a courthouse in downtown Durham in the summer of 2017, the City Council and Board of County Commissioners created the Durham Confederate Monument Committee. This committee is tasked with deciding what to do with the stone base of the Confederate monument and what to do with the statue itself. It is expected to make recommendations in November 2018.

bull city 150

The current landscape of inequality cannot be understood, let alone reckoned with, without a more complex understanding of the deep roots of inequality as they took hold in the particular place we call home.